How To Live Forever
by Goddessofice1
Summary: Squall’s plan as the head of an anti gov't faction is to get a hold of Caraway’s perfect daughter Rinoa to corrupt and seduce her. When the vicious plan begins to melt, Squall's new life begins to break apart as he longs for his old one once more. SxR
1. Prologue

**How to Live Forever**

I'm not sure what this story is about, to be sure.

I will tell you now, there _is_ SquallxRinoa involved. So if you hate that, uhm bye?

And I will tell you, I appreciate hippies, and everything about hippies. So I turned a few characters into them, thank you, and had much fun in the process. If you have any problems with hippies, take that up with your parental advisor. Or someone near and dear.

**Author Notes:**

What is this nonsense?

It's true. It's oh so true. It's more true than my reduced fat cheez-its. I wrote a first chappie of new fanfiction. I'm lame, I know, I know. So lame I can't even get out of the purple haze I'm in and finish updating my other fanfics. And I won't deny it, it's dumb of me to have started those and not dedicate at least five minutes a week to them. But, a year later – yes a whole year – I return to Fanfiction. My writing ability has improved, thank goodness, because when I go back and read my other fics I'm frightened for my soul. I may have gotten dumber, but my clever mind has not! Just pretend for five minutes that I'm clever, thanks.

As far as this story goes, I don't know what it's about, just yet, and I don't, in any way feel that it is going to go anywhere. But what can you say, I try.

(by the way, if you have me on author alerts, sorry about this story popping up numerous times. I kept realizing stupid errors and deleting the story. It won't happen again – and I'm sorry.)

-Katie

* * *

**Soy un perdedor**

**I'm a loser baby**

**So why don't you kill me?**

_-Beck_

**INTRODUCTION**

"Our mission, is to overthrow the government," Squall exclaimed, shooting his index finger out at the crowd of students standing before him. "This is an anti-government faction, and if we don't have your cooperation, it doesn't have much point in existing."

It took a few days for Squall Leonhart to realize, that, there just was no getting through to these students. By these students, I mean drop-outs of numerous Gardens, who out of their own free will marched up to the plate and decided they didn't like the government. There was no one reason for not liking the government. In fact, the most common exclamation that was heard, was in fact: "They're douche bags".

Now, many times before, any form of government screwed people over. It was all just a game of lies, a higher power tampering with lives. There was no denying it. And before Squall realized this, his ideas of overthrowing the government were simple child-like games.

Something as simple as putting something in the president's soup appealed to Squall. And it wasn't because he was immature; it was because Squall didn't have much of a life anymore. His physical appearance was that of a slob. He didn't shave anymore, so he had grown a nice beard, and his hair had grown in length as well. It was scarcely brushed, which was clearly visible to some observant ones. It was an appearance that would not be accepted by Balamb Garden, which was for sure, and it made Squall even happier that he had dropped out.

Squall didn't fight any longer, either, as he considered himself a philosopher.

"_Philosophers can't fight", he would convince himself._

"Squall Leonhart, a philosopher?" Selphie Tilmitt would jest everyday. "Might as well give a banana a dictionary," she said, cracking up with laughter immediately after.

Squall shot her a cold stare. Selphie immediately brushed the smile off her face, but still giggled under her breath. Selphie was a small girl who, had just recently transferred to Balamb Garden from Trabia Garden, where she had grown up. A mere few weeks after she had been settled in Balamb, she met Squall. With Squall's help, she immediately fell in love with Squall's views on…well, life at this point. Shortly after, she dropped out with him.

There were numerous reasons for this, none of which were superior to any other. One reason was the fact that Selphie's parents got screwed over by the government, and with the help of Squall, she had just recently found out that Balamb Garden's founder was tied into the whole issue. Her parents lost so much money and so many possessions that they no longer had what was right to bring up a child. Selphie was put into an orphanage when she was just a wee thing.

So, like any other person, when Selphie found this out she was furious.

Why Squall dropped out is anyone's guess. Not even Squall was sure. He just couldn't stand the thought of fighting any longer. He saw no point. And because of his sudden need to preach anti-violence, he soon realized that the government was behind the whole need to fight. And anything having to do with The Man meant something bad.

Squall snapped back into reality, which at this point in time, merely consisted of a small room crowded with scraggly teenagers and young adults.

"Wait, so do we even have a plan?" a boy, nowhere over the age of 16 chirped out. "You know, to overthrow those bastards?"

Squall rubbed his beard in thought. "Not yet…Isn't that why we're here, Chris?"

Chris shrugged his shoulders and stared at the floor. "I don't know man, I just don't know."

Squall ignored Chris's confusion and turned to Selphie, who was standing next to him. "If we don't think of anything," he said through clenched teeth. "we're going to have to go back to childish games."

Selphie couldn't help but smile. "I'm not objecting to any ideas you may have. In fact, I am quite excited."

With that said the whole room cheered. Selphie had spoken too loudly after all.

* * *

Selphie sat in a chair, with a wide grin on her face, and a long Tshirt on. She swung her legs over the back of the chair, and hung upside down, looking at Squall. 

He sat at his desk, staring at the soft wood, deep in thought.

"Do you know how many trees they killed to make this fucking desk?" he remarked, slamming his fist into it. "you're the one who bought it, Selphie. You supported The Man."

Selphie giggled and tumbled off the chair. "Yeah, well, what can I say. At least I get laid every now and then."

Squall didn't have much to say. It was completely irrelevant and immature of her to have said that. "Selphie, get the hell out of my room."

Selphie smiled and kicked his chair. "I was just kidding, you know. What's wrong with you, anyway?"

Squall looked at the floor. "The kids we're working with are dumbasses."

Selphie shrugged. "I dunno, I think they're all kinda fun. We're lucky to have followers at all."

Selphie walked to Squall's mini-fridge and took a bottle of whipped cream out. She sprayed some in a line on a nearby table.

"What do you mean, lucky?" Squall objected.

Selphie stayed silent. She took her finger and scooped some of the cream off the desk and put it in her mouth.

"I'll have you know, we're running a strong, legitimate program here."

With that said, Selphie burst out laughing. "Legitimate? Legitimate my ass! If anyone serious enough found out about this, we'd be put in jail like bing-bang-boom." Selphie giggled and raised her finger. "Actually, if anyone found out about us, they'd laugh and spit in our faces. 'As if they're a threat', they'd say. And we'd just continue with our juvenile pranks."

Squall was ready to strangle her. "Juvenile pranks, Selphie? That was _your _idea that I never agreed to. Pranks are bullshit. No pranks."

Selphie didn't bother bringing it up, but it was in fact Squall's idea to play shitty jokes on authority figures in the first place.

"Come on Squall! Wouldn't it be funny drugging the shit out of those assholes? Watching them try to fly out of their windows and stuff?"

Squall couldn't believe what he was hearing. It was beyond him, how he had even met half of the morons in his life.

"In fact…I started discussing something with a few of the people in this faction. About that douche Carway's daughter."

Squall didn't have much else to say, other than, "what about her?"

Selphie smiled and winked at him. "She's 17. A good girl, I assume. A princess. Daddy's angel. Who, I guarantee you, is oblivious as to the shit her dad does directly under her nose." Selphie smiled again, unable to hold in her excitement.

"Selphie, what are you getting at," Squall said, rolling his eyes.

"You can't tell? Pfft." Selphie plopped back down in her chair. "Obviously Squall, we could get a hold of her, put some of this stuff in her head, and theeeen…" Selphie paused and looked at Squall.

Squall raised his eyebrows and shrugged his shoulders.

Selphie sighed. "We deflower her."

* * *

**A/N:** First short intro chaptah. What can ya do. 


	2. One Open Mind

**Author's Note: **Well the majority of the reviews I got were comments on my use of the word "deflowering". Hehe.Well, what can I say. I'm a unique gal.

I'm on the line

One open mind

This is my

4 leaf clover

**-Tears For Fears**

**Chapter 1 -- One Open Mind**

Squall pushed his glasses to the bottom of his nose and pushed his fingers into his eyes. All he ever did was read stupid shit nowadays, about mind expansion and philosophy. Selphie would generally comment on his reading material, or she would just ask if he really did, in fact, need glasses.

"Well I do," he would reply.

Although he seemed sure, Selphie figured it just made him feel smarter. Which, it did.

"Squall…" Selphie would begin.

He would never utter a peep, and would instead merely give her a cold stare.

"You're really dumb." She would then get up and walk away, happy with her last word.

* * *

"Alright!" Selphie yelled to the small group of students before her, running her fingers through her hair. She had shaved it a few weeks before, and it had now grown back a bit, and hung over her eyes. "We have a plan, Squall and I, so you kids can go home for the time being. It doesn't involve you. 

The kid's voices broke into angry objections and hopeless sighs.

It took Squall a minute to realize what Selphie had just told them, and when he snapped into it, he pushed her out of the way and took the stand.

"Hey! She didn't mean that!" He turned around and stared her down. "Selphie, go fuck yourself?" he would say, in question form, expecting her to leave.

She clenched her teeth together. "I'm as much in this as you are," she mumbled, so nobody could hear her. "We agreed on this. We're messin' with Caraway's daughter."

"I never agreed to that," Squall said, turning red, and growing angry. "I never agreed to that," he repeated. "Maybe I didn't make it clear to you."

Selphie shrugged her shoulders. "It's a good plan, and if you're rejecting it, you're missing out on a huge opportunity to screw with Caraway big time," she paused for a minute. "I'll tell you what. I'll start, clearly and officially working with these kids on a real, major plan. But in the meantime, you do that other plan thing that we talked about. At least try. If it doesn't work, so be it. We can just continue on with this plan. Hey you know what? You have a week. That's all. If you don't get it done, that's that."

Squall didn't say anything.

"I'm being fair here!"

He still remained silent.

"Alright then! That's that. Our plan is the plan. Good work soldier," she said, holding her hand out to Squall, ready for a shake.

"Selphie?" Squall began.

"Yeah?" she questioned.

"You're a moron."

* * *

It was a usual night. A normal night. Quiet and lonely. With the occasional pop in of Selphie. Squall sat in his junky room, old pizza boxes scattered around, and a broken heater letting off a horrid stench. Nothing new. 

But for some reason, this night, was a new night. The beginning of a beginning, Squall soon realized. He sat back in his chair, putting his feet up on his desk.

"Deling city," he said aloud. "No. No way."

_No way what?_ he asked himself.

"No way is it hard to get into," he told himself. "I can easily get into that mansion."

He stared at the wall and suddenly realized that he was actually making actions toward the stupid plan of Selphie's. However, the more he thought about it, the more he started to like the idea of it. There wasn't much in it for him, but the root of every father's corruption, is in fact, the corruption of their daughter. When the life of an authority figure at home is messed with, or anyone's home life at that, changes are made. Changes for the worse in their case. In the case of the anarchists? Pure benefits. And Squall knew it.

He smiled at the thought of different things he could introduce his daughter to. Drugs, sex, and most importantly, anarchy. As soon as Squall could plant things in this girls head about her father and the government, only good could come out of it. 17 is a tender age, an age where girls are more influenced by friends and boyfriends than their fathers. Hands down. It didn't matter what kind of girl she was, all girls were like that.

"All girls are the same," he told himself. But as soon as he said it, he chuckled at the thought of Selphie, with her flowing skirt, combat boots, and crazy untamed hair.

He grabbed a pencil from a nearby cup on his desk and impatiently whacked it against the desktop.

"Shiitttt. I don't know where to start." He grabbed a piece of paper and started writing mindless thoughts on it.

"_I don't know what day it is. I don't know what month is. And I don't really want to, either. Tomorrow I'm catching a train to Deling City. I don't know what time it will depart. and even if I did, I still wouldn't catch it, because I pretty much have no idea what the hell time it is right now, let alone what time it will be when I wake up in the morning. I don't even know how the hell I'm going to get into that mansion. You know what? In general, this is a shitty plan. Why the hell am I-"_

"Squall," Selphie's voice yelled, cutting through the silence, and cutting off Squall's writing. It near scared him half to death, and in anger, and rammed the pencil point into the desk so hard that it broke.

"What," he said tonelessly.

"Open the damn door!"

Squall threw his head back in frustration, and lazily got up out of his chair. He turned the knob of his door, and slowly pulled it open so he was looking down at Selphie's bright face, and tired, red eyes.

"Quistis Trepe!" she squealed, and hopped into his room giggling.

"Yeah? What about here?"

Selphie rolled her eyes and sat on his bed. "Okay, she's tied in with Garden somehow?"

Squall paused. "Yeah, Selphie, just a little bit, seeing as how she's an ex-instructor and newly acclaimed SeeD.

"Whatever," Selphie said. "Well anyway, she clearly dislikes me a great deal, but she really likes you, even though she hates you right now. But she is worried about you, and she's coming over here tomorrow."

Squall's eyes widened. "What did you say!"

Selphie fell back on his bed and sighed. "You heard me smartass. She's coming here tomorrow. And you know whyyyy?"

Silence.

"Squall? And you wanna know whyyy?" she said in a cute tone.

"Why Selphie, why? Why is Quistis Trepe coming over here to visit me tomorrow?"

Selphie giggled and rolled off the bed. "Because she is willing to help us out here!"

With that said, Squall was completely intrigued. "What are you talking about? Quistis Trepe, would never. Never in a million years. Help us out with something like this."

Selphie smiled and winked at him. "Well apparently, she has taken a turn for the worse, and has decided to help us out with this one."

Squall wasn't sure what to say. He wasn't sure if Selphie had gotten Quistis's message clearly, either. "Selphie, I know you're trying to help, but I think you may have misinterepreted Quistis's intentions."

Selphie scoffed. "I'm not stupid! Plus, what is there to misinterpret? 'Tell Squall I'll be there tomorrow, I can help you guys out with this one', she said. Wow. Bet I screwed that one up," Selphie said with sarcasm, giving Squall a dirty look.

"Chill out, Selphie. I'm sorry. It's just, really unlike her."

Selphie shrugged. "Maybe she's starting to see the better side of things? Maybe, we, are the beginning of a revolution, Squall."

For the first time, Squall could take Selphie seriously. Maybe, just maybe, this whole thing Squall had going on would start to grow. And once it started to grow, Garden population would start to decrease. When the Gardens started to lose people, they would eventually lose themselves. No Gardens, no SeeDs, no fighting.

* * *

Quistis Trepe had grown wiser in her years. Though she was only 18, she had a quick wit, and fighting skill of a genius. She had talked to Squall's little 'buddy', Selphie Tilmitt, on the phone last night. 

"He's probably having casual sex with her," she mumbled to herself with a smile. She was inside Squall's ratty apartment building, which had a vile stench to it, along with cracks in the ceiling allowing water droplets to get in. How could Squall have done this to himself?

She held a small piece of notebook paper in her hand, which held his phone number and room number on it. She had gotten this information through Selphie, who she had located from Zell Dincht, who was one of her only acquaintances during her short time at Garden. She must have really hated it if she dropped out so quickly. Quistis couldn't imagine anyone hating Balamb Garden.

Unsure, she started to walk up the loud stairs, a bit nervous that she was going to get harassed by some loser, much like Squall Leonhart. Of course, she doubted he would ever harass anyone.

Once she was at his front door, she nervously knocked, not really sure what to expect. She hadn't seen him since he left Garden, and even then he seemed like a bit of a mess. When she heard someone moving around on the other side of the door, she grew even more nervous.

The door quickly opened, and in front of her stood Selphie. She looked different from her Garden days. At least, from what Quistis had seen of her. Her hair was much shorter, like a little boy's, and wildly hung around her head. Her clothes were wrinkled, and everything about her looked unkempt.

"Quistis!" she questioned, excited.

Quistis nodded, a bit unsure as to why Selphie had opened the door.

"Squall!" she turned her head back into the room, calling for him. "Get up! Quistis is here!"

"If this is a bad time-"

"No, no, its fine!" Selphie assured. "He's just lazy. Don't worry about it. Anyway, come in, come in!"

Selphie was the most energetic person Quistis had seen in a long time. At Garden, it was recommended that students are cool and collected, and Selphie didn't seem to have that ability down.

"Do you want some tea? We've got this like crazy sedative tea with like kava kava in it. It tastes really bad and you have to drink it cold but it calms you down," Selphie said as she walked into the kitchen, rummaging through cabinets.

"No thank you, I'm fine." Quistis wasn't really up for being in a ratty apartment so early, not to mention talking to someone whom she barely knew. The couches also looked too dirty to sit on, so she just stood in the center of the room, awkwardly.

"I'm sorry about the delay of things, Squall isn't normally like this. He's probably just out of it from all the tea."

From the sound of it, it was as if these two treated tea like alcohol.

"Squall!" Selphie chanted. "Get your ass up! We have company!"

Silence.

"Let me go get him," Selphie said, and she hurried off and disappeared into a small room. Seconds later she came back out, and behind her, stood Squall.

Quistis's mouth dropped open at the site of him. But she quickly smiled again, at the sight of an old friend.

"Hi, Squall," Quistis said nervously.

He didn't reply at first. He was a wreck. His hair was shoulder-length, and he had grown a little bit of a beard. He wore a plaid flannel shirt, and black sweatpants. He honestly just didn't care about his appearance.

"Hey," he said, and he walked over to the couch and plopped himself down on it.

"I'm sorry this is such short notice," Quistis began.

Squall didn't seem to have a very good attention span, and he looked over Quistis's shoulder at Selphie. He mouthed the word "tea".

"Sorry. Continue," he said.

"Oh, alright. So I'm a bit unsure, what exactly do you have going on here?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.

"We're an anti-government faction. Simple as that. Filled with young anarchists who don't care about anything but destroying the government. A bunch of Garden drop-outs. Its still small, but we're growing."

Selphie giggled in the background.

Squall rolled his eyes and continued. "Selphie being one of them. She doesn't live here, but she never leaves." Squall paused. "I don't think she likes being alone," he whispered.

Quistis nodded. "I know, Selphie explained that all to me, but, I mean your plans as of now, regarding Caraway."

Squall exhaled. "Not Caraway directly, his daughter."

Quistis nodded again. "You're trying to get a hold of his daughter but you aren't sure how, right?"

"That's right," Selphie cut in, handing Squall his tea. No steam rose out of the mug, as it was cold. Quistis could smell it from where she sat, and it wasn't pleasant. She didn't understand what Selphie and Squall could possibly get out of it.

"Alright, well. I'll be honest. I'm not huge into the anarchy deal you two have going on here, but I'm going to help out with this. Rinoa's…Oh, did you know her name? It's Rinoa, just to let you know. And, well, Rinoa's father wants to send her to Balamb Garden." Quistis let out a sigh. She looked un-amused and stressed.

"Quistis, if you don't want to be any part of this, we aren't making you," Selphie coaxed, putting her hand on Quistis's shoulder.

"No, no. It's my problem. I'm willing to help you out. As long as, obviously, it stays top secret. Because, well, otherwise, I could easily get kicked out of Balamb Garden. As you may know. Now, where was I?"

"Rinoa's father wants her to go to Balamb Garden," Squall reminded her.

"Right then. In order for Rinoa to be prepared, and with all the money Caraway has, he's hired a SeeD to train her. He wrote Cid, actually. It's a simple request, no specific person, just any SeeD."

Squall started to realize where she was going. "Cid put you to the job?"

Quistis shook her head. "No. Actually, a transfer student from Gabaladia, who arrived a few weeks ago and passed the SeeD exams, was hired. He starts the day after tomorrow, I believe. That Caraway sure is persistent."

There was a moment of silence.

"So, where are you going with this?" Squall questioned, a bit confused.

"Irvine Kinneas is his name, and, well, I talked to him today. He's a crazy character, that one, very adventurous. So he agreed to participate in this whole thing."

Both Selphie and Squall didn't really understand, and just stared blankly at Quistis.

"Squall will be taking Irvine's place, under the identity of a SeeD from Balamb Garden. I don't think it matters if they know your name, because Caraway obviously wouldn't know the difference."

Selphie bounced up and down in excitement. "This sounds so official! We're becoming more and more official, Squall!"

Squall, on the other hand, didn't sound very excited. "What are the chances of Irvine getting caught?"

Quistis chewed her thumb nail and crossed her legs. "He says he doesn't care. That if he gets caught he'll join your group. But obviously, it would still matter, to both you and I. I should hope. But I'd say our chances are slim. I would be more worried if Caraway kept a constant contact with Cid, but he does not. So I think we're safe."

Selphie brought her fingers to her chin. "But wait! Irvine can't just stay at Garden during his supposed 'Rinoa lessons', right? So where is he going to go?"

Quistis shrugged. "It doesn't really matter, as long as he stays away from Garden. Perhaps he can stay here for a few hours each day?"

Selphie smiled. "Alright I'm satisfied now."

"Selphie, stay serious," Squall snapped at her.

"Serious, Squall?" She looked down at what she was wearing. "Clowns can't be serious."

* * *

**Author's Notes:** -falls over- 


	3. Rubik’s Cubes

**Author's Notes:** I have nothing more to say.

* * *

**I'm becoming less to find**

**As days go by**

**Fading away, and well you might say I'm losing focus**

**Kind of drifting in the abstract**

**In terms of how I see myself**

-Nine Inch Nails

**Chapter 2 – Rubik's Cubes**

"Now Rinoa," General Caraway began, sitting at a table with his daughter over two cups of tea. "I'm sure you will put into consideration what is best for you. For your future, I mean."

Rinoa Heartilly. 17 years old. In the past month, she had probably left her house twice. There were always people in her mansion, so she wasn't lonely, but she never had any fun. She never got to speak her mind. She was even pale and dark-haired from lack of sunlight.

"I understand," she timidly replied, not daring to object to her father's orders. He was letting her know that a SeeD from Balamb Garden was to be sent over sometime soon to train her before she went off to live there. Generally, students started their training years earlier, but since it was only a recent decision that Rinoa was to be sent to Balamb Garden, her training was just beginning.

She was unsure as to why her father wanted to ship her off. She never caused trouble, or made noise. She kept to herself, usually away from her father's workplace. She had never even imagined, prior to this day, her father doing something like this. But despite all the emotions that were going through Rinoa's head, she was powerless to her father, and she kept her mouth shut. Arguing over anything just lead to trouble.

"Alright, that's all I wanted to talk to you about. Go and play."

Rinoa sat at the table or a moment staring at her father. Had he really just told her to go and play?

"Or, um, go and….study," he corrected himself, and walked off.

Rinoa remained motionless. She wasn't sure if she should be offended, or just plain disgusted.

* * *

Quistis sat on Squall's couch, staring at Selphie, who was bouncing up and down in her seat for the arrival of Irvine, the SeeD from Balamb Garden who was supposed to be Rinoa's trainer. 

Within the next few moments, there was a knock on the door. Selphie leapt up to open it, and standing before her, was a tall figure with auburn hair and green eyes. A beautiful face, this one had, and Selphie stared up at him with a smile plastered on her cheeks.

"Irvine Kinneas," he said to her, holding out his hand.

"Selphie Tilmitt," she replied, taking his hand and shaking it with a smile on her face. "Um, the SeeD right?"

He nodded, and looked over Selphie's shoulder at Quistis. "Right place I assume?"

Quistis nodded. "Yeah, this is it. Squall's already left."

Irvine rubbed his chin. "You gave him my uniform?"

Quistis shook her head. "It isn't required for this operation, Cid said, so I simply got him some proper clothes to wear. Caraways a tough one, you never know how quick he could pull a 'you're fired'."

Irvine smiled and nodded his head, taking a seat next to Quistis. "Lovely place, no?"

Selphie giggled, unsure of what to say next. "Hey want some tea?"

Irvine thought for a moment. "What kind of tea?"

"Kava Kava? It's a mild sedative," Selphie told him. "You have to drink it cold."

"I wouldn't" Quistis muttered to him.

"Sounds great!" he answered.

* * *

Squall got off the train at the Deling City stop, already unsure of where he was supposed to go. He had only been to Deling City twice, and it was for the bar. The thought made him cringe. Just like his father was what he was. He didn't even know how to get anywhere else in the entire city. 

Squall slowly walked through the entrance, trying to force his way through the crowded street. He made his way to the escalators, and rode his way up.

Once he was officially inside the city, he took a trolley to the mansion. As he got closer, he grew more and more anxious. Would if Caraway was one of those quick-witted people? Would if, as soon as he looked at Squall, he knew something was up? Desperately, Squall tried to shake the image out of his head. The more paranoid he was, the more suspicious he would look, he reminded himself.

The trolley squeaked loudly, and Squall got out at the gates of the mansion. He stared at it for a moment, unsure of how he was going to get in. He looked around, and soon noticed a security guard. Unsure, Squall walked up to him.

"Hi, sir, um, I'm the SeeD from Balamb Garden, here for Cara…General Caraway's daughter."

The guard looked him over. It took him a minute to react, causing Squall's heart to race in anticipation. "We've been expecting you," he said with a nod, and motioned for Squall to pass through. "Directly up this path here will bring you to the front door. Just ring the bell and someone should answer, and they will be happy to assist you from there."

Squall looked at him for a moment before walking past him to the walkway that led to the front door. "Thanks," he said behind him.

Squall was now at the front door, sweating bullets. His hand shook as he brought it to the doorbell. He pressed it, listening for the ding on the other side.

A moment later, an ebony haired teenage girl wearing very conservative clothes opened the door.

"Hi?" she asked. "Oh! You must be the SeeD!"

Squall studied her pale face and brown eyes for a moment before nodding his head.

"Right then. Let me get my father. Come in, you can wait here," she said, motioning to a small standing area. She then walked off, properly, to find her father. Nothing like a normal teenage girl would act.

Squall put his hands in his pockets and tried to stand as straight as he could. For a moment, he considered if it was proper to have his hands in his pockets. Deciding against it, he took them out. For that moment he wasn't sure what he should do with his hands. In the next passing moments he grew impatient, and started pacing.

"Ah, here we are." A man's voice said, as he walked around the corner. "It's great to see you. I'm General Caraway," he introduced himself, and held his hand out.

Squall wasn't sure what to say about his name. Quistis had mentioned it, but Squall must have not been paying attention. Would if Caraway kept contact with Cid? Would if they wrote each other, and in a letter, Caraway mentioned that Squall Leonhart was working for him? Wouldn't that mess everyone up?

Squall decided, and held out his hand. "Irvine Kinneas," he said, as he shook his hand.

Caraway smiled and nodded his head. "Alright then. Let's get started, shall we?" Caraway energetically turned and started walking down the hall. "Follow me," he told Squall, looking over his shoulder.

Squall followed, and did his best to pay attention.

He led them into a small dinning area, where the girl who had opened the door before sat motionlessly in a chair.

"This is my daughter Rinoa," he said, motioning to her. "Who you will be training for the next few months or so until she is fully prepared to be sent to Balamb Garden."

Squall nodded his head and made eye contact with the girl, but quickly took it away.

"Hi," she said timidly, not moving.

Squall remained expressionless. He wasn't quite sure what he was supposed to do now. Should he have brought equipment of some sort? Weapons, perhaps?

"Alright then, you will be working together in the courtyard until she is ready for real training. I have cleared my staff of this area, so you should have a pretty good environment." Caraway motioned towards the door. Rinoa got up first, and Squall followed.

As he followed her through the house, he couldn't help but get distracted by the different pictures and sculptures scattered throughout. Squall couldn't imagine living alone in a place like this. Part of him felt a bit bad for the girl. Of course, who was he to say? She probably had numerous friends, popping in and out all the time.

Before arriving at the courtyard, Caraway labeled all the different rooms, giving Squall a general idea of where he could get certain things.

"Help yourself to anything," he would say, every other sentence.

The courtyard was green and sunny, with beautiful flower and tree arrangements. It was a large area, enclosed by perfectly trimmed bushes and large, decorative fountains.

"Alright well, now that you have a feel for the house, you two can stay out here for an hour or so. Introduce yourself, Mr. Kinneas, explain what being a SeeD at Balamb Garden is. Explain exactly what you do. At this point in time, she's completely uneducated."

Squall looked over at her. She nervously looked down at the ground, almost as if her father had embarrassed her. He probably had.

"Now, our intercom system is rather simple. If you need anything, I'm sure Rinoa will help you out with it." He stood very properly, and nodded his head. "Good luck, Mr. Kinneas." He turned and left the courtyard, shutting the door quietly behind him. But a moment later, he opened the door back up. "Rinoa, you are to address him as Mr. Kinneas," he said, quickly closing the door again.

Awkward silence followed. Squall wasn't sure what he should say.

"Hey," he said, trying to smile.

She looked up at him and smiled. "Hey," she said, clasping her hands behind her back, tilting her head.

"I'm Squall. I mean Irvine. Kinneas."

Rinoa was unsure of what he had just said. "Okay," she said, with a nervous smile. "Oh. Um, I'm Rinoa."

More silence followed. Squall became un-thrilled at the idea of everything he was supposed to do here, at this point.

"So…Rinoa," Squall began. "What sort of things do you enjoy doing?"

It took her a moment. She shuffled her feet. "Um," she stammered. "I don't really do all that much. Read, paint, study. I guess."

Squall looked at her. "Friends?"

She nervously looked back at him, shrugging. "I don't really know that many people outside of my house. My dad keeps me on a really short leash."

Squall rolled his eyes. "So you're a good girl?"

Rinoa's mouth fell open. "Excuse me? What's that supposed to mean?"

Squall chuckled and dropped his head and thought for a moment. "Seclusion, money. I mean, what else could that mean?"

Rinoa looked at the ground, almost as if offended. "Well, you know, it's not my fault. You act like it's my fault, like I can help it. And I can't. My dad secludes me. He knows what is out there."

Squall's eyes still remained on the ground. "What exactly…is out there, hm?" He lifted his head and made eye contact with her.

And she stood motionlessly and held his eyes in hers. "I…I dunno."

Squall walked closer toward her, and she backed away. "Drugs? Sex, perhaps?" he questioned.

The more steps Squall took forward, she took backward. She was beyond baffled at his outlandish behavior, and wasn't sure what to do about it. She looked at him, who was still getting closer. "What are you doing?" she questioned.

He stopped walking and looked at her, smiling. "Nothing."

She frowned and stood still. "Okay?"

He nodded.

Awkward silence followed again, and it took Squall a moment to remember why he was supposedly here.

"Garden!" he exclaimed. "What do you know about it?"

She chuckled. "Way to change the subject."

He was almost shocked at her smart remark, and he regained all of his seriousness. "I'm not changing the subject, I'm getting to work. It's what I'm here for."

She shrugged. "If you were that serious about it, we would have started already."

Squall smiled. This was beginning to get fun. She wasn't a blank and innocent little rich girl. She was fresh. She could get mad at somebody bigger than her. And with these thoughts, Squall wondered what her reaction would be to more personal questions. Would she answer them? Would she tell her father?

"So Rinoa, are you…" He wanted to say virgin, but he assumed he would just slide a bit more easily into these types of questions. Asking them too soon would only cause this plan to fail completely.

She widened her eyes and held up her hands. "Am I what?"

"Are you ready?" he asked, and with that, she nodded.

"Okay, first of all, when you go into Balamb Garden, you're obviously not just automatically a SeeD. I'm sure you know that. You're a student. To become a SeeD you have to take a SeeD exam. And this calls for a lot of training. I mean, a lot. And in your case, we don't have that time. So you're going to have to be up to your fullest potential in order to do this. At all." It was funny how when Squall stopped to think about it, he sounded extremely convincing. He was even beginning to convince himself.

She nodded. "I understand, and I'm up for a challenge. But I don't necessarily have to be a SeeD, you know. I think my dad just wants me to be a Garden Student."

Squall smiled and felt the energy running through his body, until he felt blood rising to his head, and his head started throbbing.

"Okay." He stopped and looked at her for a minute. She was so frail. How could somebody like her become a fighter? He held his thoughts to himself for the time. "Let's get started." Squall motioned for her to sit on the ground. She sat, and he followed.

A few minutes went by with just the two of them sitting on the ground across from each other, before Rinoa asked, "What are we doing?"

Her question took him by surprise at first. "What do you mean what are we doing? We've been sitting here in silence for two minutes. The hell do you think we're doing?"

Rinoa's mouth dropped open. His stern answer took her by complete surprise. "Um…I don't know."

Squall stood up. "It's called meditation."

Rinoa hopped up after him. "No offense, but, meditation?"

Squall wanted to laugh. When he went to Garden, he never meditated. It was something he had started doing with Selphie after they had dropped out. It didn't have the slightest thing to do with fighting.

He let out a sigh. "Yeah. It has a lot to do with fighting."

Rinoa put her hands on her hips and rolled her eyes. "Okay, now what."

There was a silence, the kind of silence that reminds you that you're on the planet earth. The wind itself serves as a reminder, along with the rustling of trees and sounds of birds chirping. They were plentiful here, the birds, and if Squall really listened, it was almost deafening. The entire silence was nearly deafening. And to him, in that moment, it grew into desperation to cut through it.

"Now, uh," Squall wasn't sure what to do. He didn't bring any equipment, so this entire thing started to feel slightly pointless. It started to even feel a little bit fishy. To him, at least. "Oh, right. GFs. Tell me you know what they are."

Rinoa looked at him, but quickly turned her glance to the ground. She shrugged her shoulders.

Squall pushed out a sigh. "Okay, okay, no problem. Don't worry about it. GF stands for Guardian Forces. They help you in battle."

Rinoa nodded. "Oh yeah, you have to junction them."

Squall nodded. How the hell did she know that?

"I know about junctioning magic. So I assume you junction GFs, too. Right?"

Squall just stared at her for a minute. How could a secluded rich girl just know something like that? "Yeah, you're right. And I'm assuming you have no experience with magic, either?"

Rinoa shook her head. "Not really. I just know how to junction it."

Squall nodded, and a moment later, realized how weird her answer was.

* * *

Irvine sipped his tea slowly. With every gulp, he got a nasty cringe on his face. "How can you just _drink _this stuff?" he asked Selphie. 

She giggled. "I don't drink it for the taste."

Quistis just stared at Selphie, and then turned her glance toward Irvine. "It's not worth it."

He shrugged and gulped the rest of the liquid down, and a moment later, put his hand on his chin. "I can't feel my mouth."

* * *

Squall explained everything he knew to Rinoa about Garden, from SeeDs, to the history of Cid, to the SeeD exams, to the training Center, and so on. Every once in a while she would question something small that Squall quickly knew the answer to. At noon, they were called in for lunch. Ten minutes later, they continued their training outside. And once he was finished explaining everything he knew, the sun was starting to set. 

Rinoa clasped her hands together. "Okay, I think its time to go inside."

Squall shrugged. "Why? Afraid of the dark?"

Rinoa shooked her head. "I just-"

"Plus you're loaded, the outside of your house is probably lit up like a Christmas tree at night."

Rinoa didn't have anything else to say, other than another "okay".

The courtyard was really big. "Do you have a favorite place to relax?" he asked her, assuming that most people would have chosen a favorite place somewhere like this.

She nodded. "Actually, yeah, right over there." She pointed toward the far corner of the courtyard, which was slightly closed off by cleanly cut bushes and flowers. There was a small, stone bench within the cubicle-like area, and a fountain right next to it.

"Alright then," Squall said. "Let's go over there."

Rinoa looked at him and smiled. "Okay." She quickly looked at the door to make sure her father was not near. "Let's go," she motioned.

The slowly walked over to the closed off area, and once in it, Squall got on the ground and lay on his back. "The night is better than day."

Rinoa nodded and sat next to him. "Um, I guess." Where was he going with this? Why did he want to come over _here_?

"Well, anyway, you don't have to call me Mr. Kinneas. I don't think it's a bad thing if we're on a first name basis, now, do you?"

Rinoa started at him wide-eyed. "But-"

"Your father said no, yeah, so what. You don't always have to play by the rules."

Rinoa stood up quickly. "Excuse me, but, you're supposed to be professional here, not act like this. Not try to be my friend."

Squall looked at her. "Why can't we be friends, Rinoa? You're how old? 17? And you let your father control your life like he does?" Squall rolled his eyes. "Do you understand that you're close to being an adult? And you'll look back at your teenage years in disgust because you never actually got to live them. Because you were like, a trained dog. Or something. Life is too short to be so conservative, you know."

Rinoa didn't know what to say. But whatever he had said had convinced her. She knelt back on the ground. "I never really looked at it like that, but, I'm still unsure. I don't think this is right."

Squall rolled his eyes. "Rinoa, friendship isn't rape. It isn't murder. It's not hurting anyone." She was being ridiculous. If she was going to keep this attitude up, he didn't even want to bother.

"Okay, okay, calm down. I'm sorry. I'm new at meeting new people. Especially guys, okay?" Rinoa let out a heavy sigh. "You'll just have to excuse me in that area. I know I'm way too conservative."

Squall sat up and smiled. "There you go, that's the spirit." He was beginning to forget what he was there for. "Alright, now. Call me Squall, alright?"

Rinoa nodded.

"Just don't tell your father."

Rinoa rolled her eyes. "Obviously. It would just get me into trouble, not you," she said.

"Exactly, Rinoa. I don't want you to get into any trouble."

She nodded. "So Squall, how old are you?"

Squall smiled again. They were getting somewhere. She was starting to step off the path her father wanted her to take. It was small progress, but it still counted as a pretty big drop in the bucket. Everyone had to start somewhere. "18," he said to her. "Just recently turned it."

Rinoa nodded. "I thought you were older. I forgot how young SeeDs were." Rinoa shifted the position she sat in. She looked relaxed and comfortable next to Squall, which made him feel sort of good. "Do you have a girlfriend?"

Squall shook his head, unable to hold the wide grin that came upon his face.

"What's so funny?" she asked.

Squall looked at her. "You're finally chilling out a little bit."

Rinoa pressed her finger to her lips. "You really aren't much like what I expected, you know," she said to him, lying on her stomach so her head was level with his. "But maybe everyone's like this and I just don't know it."

Squall sighed. "No, definitely not. Not at all. You're lucky to find people who aren't uptight. Especially if you go to some place like Garden."

Rinoa smiled but then quickly frowned. "You never answered my question."

Squall thought a moment. "Oh, oh yeah. No. I don't."

He didn't want to look at Rinoa at that point. He didn't want to know what her reaction would be. Because with her reaction, it was almost as if he felt he could tell her emotions toward him. With a simple reaction, the question of how hard this entire operation was going to be would surely be answered. In only a moment, of course, he gave up and looked at her face anyway. And with the quick glance, he was relieved, because the only look on her face was that of contentment, tranquility. Or maybe it was an unspoken blankness.


	4. Good Morning Beautiful

**A/N: **I've noticed I've put a lot of unnecessary shit into this story. And I thought I was going to maybe consider changing it, but then I realized that I don't care. There are also small references to the band Phish in this story. I don't own them, either. Oh yeah and if anybody ever watched Cowboy Bebop…cough

**_Good morning beautiful_**

--By Divine Right

* * *

"Rinoa," Squall said with a smile. "Alright, alright, you don't have to if you don't want to." Squall backed away from her, taking his hand out from under her shirt 

And then there was the seemingly endless buzz of ringing from his alarm clock, and with all of his energy, he sat himself up on his bed and pushed the snooze button.

"God damn it."

* * *

Quistis stood outside Squall's crusty bedroom door pounding her fist into the nearly decayed wood. "Wake up! You have a job now!" 

Squall rubbed his eyes, remembering this "job" of his. He chuckled. "Oh yeah. Rich people are waiting for me." He rolled off his bed and walked quickly to the door. He opened it, brushed passed Quistis, and walked into the kitchen where Selphie sat. She was on top of the white counter messing with a Rubik's Cube.

"Boy man," she said, grasping the toy firmly and chucking it across the apartment.

"And that's how this place became a hellhole," Squall said to Quistis, rolling his eyes with a sigh.

It was the time of morning that gave you the fresh and early feel. The time that no matter what time of year always feels cold. Just slightly beyond sunrise and 6 am.

"Get used to this, Squall, you have to get up this early just about every day now. You have a student. And go clean up, for heaven's sake. Grunginess can't be accepted much longer." Quistis glared at Selphie. "And you should clean up just because."

They were interrupted by a loud knock on the door, followed by Irvine strolling in. "Howdy." He looked at Squall's unsightly form. "What are you still doing here? You were supposed to leave 20 minutes ago."

Squall let out a sigh. "Whatever." He padded off into his room, only to come back out 5 minutes later in proper attire.

* * *

"Rinoa!" Caraway hollered up the stairs to his daughter's room. "Rinoa get down here! He's going to arrive any minute now and you better be ready!" 

Rinoa rolled her eyes. She was just trying to give her boring look some decency. She didn't want to look like a slob in front of the SeeD.

"I'm getting dressed! Hold on!"

She could hear her father's sigh all the way from upstairs. She didn't understand why he was such a grouchy old man. It's not like she had ever caused him trouble. It was clear that he was just a man with little care for taking care of a child, on a personal level that was. Everyone like Caraway was the same. They hired other people to raise their own children. It was disgusting, and Rinoa knew it.

She quickly grabbed her notebooks and ran down the stairs, nearly falling. "He isn't even here yet, so why do I have to hurry so much?"

Caraway let out a long sigh and walked away. Typical ignorance toward a question he simply could not answer. Rinoa waited by the door for ten more minutes, until Squall opened the door and stuck his tired head in.

"Hey," he said casually, stepping inside.

Rinoa hesitated. "..Hi." It was as if they were meeting for the first time. It had been a night, and the distance had settled in, making her shy all over again.

"So what are we going to do today?" Squall asked her, not making eye contact. Rinoa started to speak, but her father loudly walked into the room and put his hand on Squall's shoulder.

"You should be the one who is in charge of that, Mr. Kinneas."

Squall nodded and started to walk toward the courtyard. "Well…thanks." He motioned for Rinoa to follow him. Rinoa quickly trotted behind him until she was next to his ear.

"You can't be that casual with him, you know."

Squall turned to her and rolled his eyes. "What's he gonna do."

Rinoa stared at him, motionless. "You're unbelievable. Are you sure you're really a SeeD?"

Squall did everything he could to hold back his laughter. "No, Rinoa. I'm not. I'm just an imposter here for no apparent reason at all." He scoffed and opened the door for her.

"You're not being very nice today. What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he replied, and started to whistle. He turned his head back towards where he had entered to see if her father was still standing there. He grabbed her hand quickly and walked into the courtyard. He looked behind himself to her and saw the smile that was growing on her face. "We can have fun."

She pulled her hand away from him. "That's all well and good, but don't just grab me like that. And don't be so unprofessional. I'm here to learn."

Squall chuckled. "Wow," he said under his breath. "I've never seen anything like you before. You're just unbelievable. Just relax for a few minutes, please?" He rubbed his chin. This was going to be impossible. He might as well just quit now.

"Be quiet. Just because I have morals-"

"Morals?" Squall cut off. "That's irrelevant, this is about how you can't just be a normal kid. Yeah, you heard me, you're an abnormal kid. And even better, yes. You are a kid. Embrace it."

Rinoa folded her arms and stared at him.

"Good, you have nothing to say. Let's get started."

* * *

Selphie and Irvine sat on the dirty floor of the apartment with their foreheads pressed together. 

"Let's play a game," Selphie said, rocking their heads back and forth. "What we're going to do, is get our faces to melt into each other."

Irvine chuckled. "I've played this one before."

Selphie pulled away from him. "No you haven't, don't be ridiculous."

From a distance, Quistis could be heard letting out a heavy sigh.

* * *

Squall dug down into his memory as deep as he could to remember what sort of things he had learned at Garden. When he didn't want to remember anything, he turned to Rinoa and tried to think of things they could do to warm up to each other. 

"Sit down," he said to her.

"You're rude," she said, but when he sat down, she did as well.

He smiled. He rubbed his chin slowly. "Should I shave?"

Rinoa gave him a weird look. "I'm not even going to answer that question. That's how utterly…immaterial it is. You're not a baby, you can decide that for yourself."

Squall didn't have anything to say back. "What about these pants, should they go? I'm not too fond of them myself. Or what about my hair. Should I keep growing it?"

Rinoa stood up and walked away. This was like a game of cat and mouse.

"C'mon Rinoa!" he yelled to her, and she whipped around.

"You're completely out there, you know that?"

"No I'm not, I try to get to know you, and you want nothing to do with it. To you, because I'm meant to be an instructor, that's where you have to draw the line. It can't go any further. We can't have a more personal relationship."

"No, _Mr. Kinneas. _We can't. You're absurd."

"I'm not absurd, Rinoa. I'm a normal person. I'm living life. And here I am, trying to help you live."

"Well I don't need help, alright? I've made it this far on my own, I still don't need anybody like you. You're here to help me get into a military academy, and that's all!"

"You may have lived like this all these years, but I guarantee you that it's been an unhappy experience. Day in, day out, you're daddy's little girl. You do nothing. You might as well be a fly on the wall."

Rinoa's mouth dropped opened and she turned away again. "Just go away."

"I can't. I'm here, and you're stuck with me. I know your dad well enough to know that he's too ignorant to even listen to you if you have a problem with me. So I guess you're just stuck with me. Maybe we should try something new, since this isn't working."

Rinoa's head dropped and she put her hands over her face. "You're right. What am I doing."

A pang of sorrow suddenly wiped over Squall. Ten bucks that her father borderline abused this girl into thinking she was a terrible person. Those fucking rich people. "It's okay..I'm sorry. I shouldn't have been so harsh." He walked over to her and held her shoulders. They were quivering.

"No, you're right. I'm not happy. You're the closest to outside I have ever been." She took her hands and grabbed Squall's shirt and held onto it. "Please just help me."

Squall nodded. "That's what I'm trying to do."

Rinoa looked up at him. "I'm sorry. I really am."

Squall's face grew into a frown and he suddenly got the look on his face that had been plastered to his face all those years at Garden, all those years as a motherless boy growing up in a world where all he could do was kill. The look on his face stayed until it felt natural once more, and then he let go of her.

It took her a moment to react, and then she said, "What's wrong?"

From that moment on, Squall couldn't remember why he had started the new life of his. He had gone from being a high ranking SeeD to a radical slob too lazy to even protest. Was it for the good, or for the bad?

"Rinoa..I'm not who you think I am."

Rinoa backed away a little bit, somewhat concerned at what he was about to tell her. His face was angry and serious, one that she'd never seen on him before. "What exactly do you mean?"

He shook his head and his shoulders dropped. His voice shook as he began, "Look at me, Rinoa." He lifted his head and made solid eye contact. He quickly walked towards her until he was literally looking down into her face, due to the height difference. "Can you see any story in my eyes? Do they tell you anything?"

Rinoa remained where she was. "I can see that you're sad," she quietly mumbled. Squall got goose bumps from the feeling of her warm breathe on his face that radiated from her voice.

"What the hell am I doing here?" he said, as he backed away.

Rinoa shrugged.

"Would your father get mad if I left for the day?"

Rinoa's eyes widened. "Well it's the second day, it's only noon, and you don't even have a logical reason."

Squall thought a moment. "Then come with me," he proposed, the expression on his face remaining the same.

"Where?"

Squall laughed and looked down. "I'm not sure."


	5. Fingertips

**I had visions, I was in them,  
I was looking into the mirror  
To see a little bit clearer  
The rottenness and evil in me **

Fingertips have memories,  
I can't forget the curves of your body  
And when I feel a bit naughty  
I run it up the flagpole and see who salutes

-Harvey Danger

* * *

Rinoa shook her head as Squall's gaze remained upon her. This was becoming a deeper situation than it ever should have been in the first place. The SeeD who had come to train her was now posing that they leave together, and he had no reasonable explanation at all.

Just then, a beep came from Squall's pocket. He took out his small black pager that Selphie had recently given him to make missions easier. It read: _Tell Rinoa NOW and bring her back to the apartment. _He casually put it away and returned his gaze to Rinoa.

"Training?" Squall said with a shrug. "We're leaving to train, and I'll bring you to a few people who can help."

"Well why did you come here if you're going to need help?"

"It wasn't my decision, my headmaster sent me. And if you don't want to leave, then fine. Stay here." With that said, Squall turned away and walked towards the door to get back into the house.

"Wait, Squall, I'll go."

Squall paused for a moment, turned, and looked at her. "Alright then," he smiled. "Let's go."

They walked back into the mansion together, only to be stopped by a pacing Caraway. Immediately Squall could tell something was wrong because he looked nervous and uptight.

"Dad,"

Caraway jumped a bit before realizing Rinoa was in the room. "Rinoa! You snuck up on me,"

"Sorry. Squall says that he wants to bring me to a more suitable…training ground. Is that okay?"

Caraway looked at Squall with suspicion. "What's wrong with the courtyard? Not big enough?"

Squall wasn't exactly sure what to say. "Well, you see...As a SeeD, at Balamb we have a highly suitable and professional training area. And unfortunately, I don't have access to sufficient equipment outside of Garden for safety purposes. And I would very much enjoy continuing your daughter's training in a more suitable environment."

Caraway shifted his feet before giving them both a nod. "Be back by dinner, Rinoa."

"With all due respect, Sir, a student's training takes a lot of dedication. In order to prepare your daughter for becoming a Balamb student, you need to understand that she's going to be thrown into an environment with kids who have been studying since they were only children. Your daughter has very limited time, Sir, and she's going to need all the training she can get. And to dinnertime is certainly not enough time for one day."

Caraway stared at Squall for a moment before returning his glance to Rinoa. "I'm leaving Deling on a ten o' clock train, Mr. Kinneas. I understand and respect what you're saying so I'm going to put the responsibility of having my daughter home at a reasonable time on you. Our maid should be up, so make sure you let her know when Rinoa is home. And Rinoa, if Mr. Kinneas reports to me that you've misbehaved, you will be on an austere leash, and will not leave the house until further notice."

Rinoa and Squall both nodded, and without further adieu, they grabbed their items necessary for leaving, and walked out the door.

* * *

The second Quistis had left the apartment to buy lunch, Selphie and Irvine's lips met. Irvine kissed her mouth, her cheeks, and down her neck until she started to giggle.

"I just met you." Selphie smiled and pushed him away.

Irvine dropped his head down. "Aw Selph, I could feel it."

Selphie giggled. "Feel what?"

"We're meant to be, of course!"

* * *

"I've never seen anything like that," Rinoa said to Squall in disbelief while shaking her head.

"Like what?"

"You know!" Rinoa jumped up. "You just convinced my father to let me leave…with another teenage boy…Who has a beard!"

"It's no big deal, stop making noise. Somebody will hear you."

The two were making their way out of the busy streets of Deling City. Rinoa paid for the train tickets with the spare money her father always made her hold on to, and they entered the train.

The train brought many memories back for Squall. It wasn't the first time he'd been on a train within the recent past, but it was the first time he'd really examined one. He looked at the silver walls and red seats, and also got a pang of sorrow when he remembered being a SeeD. He remembered Balamb Garden in general. His friend Zell, his enemy Seifer. What were they up to? Were they succeeding in being fighters? Were they nearly dead with dangerous missions? Where would Squall be right now if he hadn't left?

Rinoa cut the silence. "What's wrong, Squall?"

Squall shook his head. "Come here," he said to her. "I want you to listen to me." With his sweaty palms, he made a fist and bit his lip. "I'm not really a SeeD."

Rinoa simply started at him without any drastic reaction. "Wait, what?"

"Rinoa I'm an imposter."

Rinoa's heart began to beat fast. Was he kidding around? "Stop it. What are you saying?"

The train came to a stop. The train stopped in Timber, which was where Squall's apartment was located. He started to walk off the train and she followed, annoyed because he remained silent.

The streets, as usual, were crowded, and the loud sounds of the trains coming in and departing rang in Rinoa's ears. Ahead of her, Squall walked quickly, and Rinoa struggled to keep up. "Squall!" she yelled loudly. It was at least loud enough to catch his attention.

He whipped around and gave her a cold stare.

"What were you talking about back there, on the train?" Rinoa was concerned only because it would not have been hard to imagine this man as some sort of imposter. But there was also something about him that told her he had no intent of harming her. And this feeling was what led her to continue following him, and what kept her from running away.

"I'll tell you about it when we get to my apartment."

Rinoa scoffed. "I'm not going _anywhere _with you if you don't tell me what the hell you're talking about."

Squall understood and respected what she had just said. In the near distance, there was a bench. Squall motioned for her to go sit on it. She nodded, and walked over, with him following.

"Rinoa, I used to be a SeeD. I really did."

Rinoa quickly shook her head. "Oh no."

"But I'm not anymore."

Rinoa's eyes widened. "This is unbelievable, Squall. You'll have to tell me more than that. There's no way you could have possibly gotten yourself into my mansion if you were an imposter."

Squall smiled. "It was pretty easy, actually. When a headmaster doesn't specify what sort of student he is going to send over, it's actually quite practical. All you need is a small connection and a spacey over looker, and you're in."

Rinoa put her hand over her mouth. "But..why? Why would you do that?"

"That's what I'm trying to explain to you. Rinoa, I know this is going to sound suspicious coming from me, but I think you might be in a lot of trouble. You just need to come back to my apartment with me so my …partners can help you."

Rinoa laughed and quickly stood up from the bench. "I don't need you being my life coach! In fact, I'm going to go home. I don't want anything to do with you!" She was now yelling, and Squall was turning bright red.

"Rinoa if you'lll just cooperate and follow me back to a more private place that isn't so out in the open, we can talk and you can yell all you want," he said through clenched teeth. "I'm not here to make a scene. That's the worst possible thing you could do. I'm trying to help you, and with your help you're going to make it backfire in my face. So please, for at least ten more minutes, just trust me, okay? That's all I'm asking. There are other people who are in my apartment as well, and two of those people are actual students. They can help you understand. Better than I can at least. And if I'm not convincing enough, call your father and tell him, throw me in front of a moving train, do whatever you want. I'm asking you, Rinoa, for ten minutes. That's all."

Rinoa stared at him for a while before shaking her head. "Okay, but I'll hold you to the whole ten minute deal. And I'm warning you, Squall, I _can _fight!"

"Okay whatever. Come on."

They continued through the busy streets into the darker alleys of the town. His apartment was located in the darkest of them, next to a noisy pub. He held the door open for her, and they entered. They walked up the stairs and arrived at the destination. Squall stood in front of his door, looked at Rinoa, and knocked on it. "See, a girl is going to answer. We're not alone here."

"One minute!" Selphie's small voice called back from the other side. A few seconds later, she opened up. "Squall! You're home!" Selphie looked past Squall at the black haired girl that stood behind him. "Tell me this is Rinoa," she said with a giggle.

She looked at Squall. "Oh so they know me? Am I your laughing subject?" she asked him.

"Never mind, just come inside."

Selphie held the door open and slammed it behind them.

"Sit down," Squall told her, and she obeyed, walking over to the closest couch. As she sat, she could feel the springs poke at her through the thin fabric. "And Selphie, get some tea," Squall demanded.

"Yeah yeah I'm not your slave," she said, and ignored his request. "Okay, let's get started. Rinoa, you're in trouble," Selphie told her, walking back into the room so she could be face to face with the girl.

Squall rolled his eyes. "Where's Quistis and Irvine?"

"IRVINE!" Selphie called. "Oh and Quistis is getting lunch."

Irvine had only been in this apartment for a day and a half, and it had already gotten to him. His shirt was undone, his hair was down, and his shoes were off. "Yep babe?" he said as he walked into the room.

Squall paced back and forth. "I don't know whose stupid fucking idea this was but now we have to get ourselves out of it," Squall said. "Rinoa, here's the facts. Selphie and I used to go to Garden. We'd gotten fed up with its system, so we dropped out and formed a small anti-government faction that currently resides in Timber. Our plan was to…get a hold of you and…save you from your house."

Next to him, Selphie made a noise as evidence that she was trying to hold her laughter back. Squall turned to her and gave her a cold look.

"This here," Squall motioned to Irvine. "is Irvine Kinneas. I on the other hand, am not. I am Squall Leonhart, and I used to be a high ranking SeeD, along with Selphie."

Rinoa looked around at the madness that was unfolding in front of her. She wasn't scared, she was just confused.

The door suddenly slammed open and a tired eyed Quistis walked in with 2 bags of hot food.

"Take what you want, I ordered everything." As she dropped the food carelessly on the table, she caught sight of Rinoa and gasped. "You're here…already."

Rinoa slapped her hand to her forehead. "Gee Squall, did you have weekly conferences about me?"

Squall scoffed and turned away from her. "Rinoa, listen. Please just start cooperating. It's for your own good."

Quistis nodded, and walked over to Rinoa. "Really, Rinoa. I understand this is going to be hard, but you need to trust us."

Squall casually leaned against the wall with his legs crossed. "Yes, Rinoa, this here is Quistis. She's also an actual person from Garden. In fact, very well respected at Garden. And I also have something else to propose. I'm going back to Garden, everyone."

Selphie had somewhere along this discussion, gotten up and made herself some tea, and at the moment Squall delivered this news, she nearly spit it out. Slamming her cup down, she yelled "What are you talking about?"

"You heard me. Now to the next subject. Rinoa, are you aware that your father is a money sucking bastard?"

Rinoa looked around and hesitantly nodded.

"But do you know what he is doing in order to get there?" Quistis asked.

The room fell into a dead silence as she looked around once more. "Not off hand." She nervously looked around the room again, not knowing what to expect.

Quistis let out a heavy sigh. "Well then. Let's begin. You see, Rinoa, just recently we'd grown sneaking suspicions that your father was in some sort of arrangement with a sorceress after his drastic changes in ignorance came to shine bright. Whether you're familiar or not I'm not sure. And the assumption can be made that in this process of relation, your father has become…well...more than likely corrupt."

"Well this is my first time hearing about this,"

Quistis nodded and looked at him. "That's why I'm helping in the first place. I didn't want to tell you too soon, and today when I found out that Caraway is having a meeting with her tonight, I decided that I needed to take action."

Squall snapped his head towards her. "How the hell did you find that out?"

"I called Cid and asked him. Garden can easily trace where a sorceress will be at certain moments. And Rinoa, did your father say anything about having a meeting tonight?"

Rinoa nodded her head and looked around at everyone in the room. Her chin began to quiver and a tear quickly dropped from her eye.

Quistis looked at the ground, unable to make eye contact with the pitiful girl. "Rinoa, I know this is hard to handle, but we were shocked as well. At first this plan was juvenile, but further necessities needed to be taken out once everything was ultimately discovered. We're not here to harm you, we're here to protect you. Please understand." Quistis walked over to her and put her hand on the quivering girl's shoulder.

"And everyone, I'm going back to Garden. I'm selling this apartment. And Rinoa, this is for you. We're going to get back on good terms with Cid and also get his help. Selphie, you better come with me."

Selphie's mouth dropped open. "After everything! After I shave my head and started reading about anarchy and discovering about being natural and independent!"

Squall shrugged. "Guess so. You in or out?"

Selphie giggled. "Let's do it."

"Besides," Squall began. "Do you really think this was going to get anywhere?"

Selphie nodded. "Okay! Let's go today!"

Quistis nodded. "Good idea. Selphie, Squall, Irvine, let's just catch a train up there tonight to merely get back onto terms with Cid."

They nodded and Selphie jumped up. "Let's eat this food first! I'm starving."

* * *

**AN: **I wanted to spare the drama of Rinoa being hurt by Squall because of the news. I thought it was unnecessary and too exhausting. Anyway.

I'm also going to work on updating more often, because I really do suck at that. I know I've probably lost many readers, but I still enjoy writing this story very much. Please review, as they truly do keep my inspiration up. If anybody is confused as to anything that is going on and need me to explain, feel free to email me.


	6. Return

**Chapter 6**

Walking through the doors of Garden was incredibly surreal for Squall. All around him he felt eyes beating all over his body, and if looks could kill, he'd most definitely be dead. Behind him was Selphie, Quistis and Irvine. Selphie smiled politely back at the kids who were viciously staring at her. Word of course, had gotten around fast at Garden. More than word, in fact, vicious rumors as well.

The whispers circulated the room, causing an uncomfortable vibe.

"Look at her hair!"

"Were they really having sex?"

"He has a beard!"

"Is she stoned?"

"Were they really trying to poison Cid?"

"Hey, we're back," Selphie said, waving and curtseying. "You missed out, guys, really. Drop out sometime, it's a lot of fun," she said, still smiling. Quistis quickly shh-ed her and pushed her quickly towards the elevator because she was making a scene. The group entered the elevator and the doors shut quickly. They had left behind them an enormous crowd that merely stared at the elevator in shock.

Squall found himself getting increasingly nervous. This was going to be an interesting confrontation. He secretly hoped to Hyne that he wouldn't run into Seifer. That was the last thing he needed. All he wanted was to get to Cid's office, smoothly, and easily get back into Garden and maybe get his position back as a SeeD. It wasn't likely, but originally Squall had been one of Garden's finest.

The elevator doors shot open, and the kids were face to face with the door to Cid's office. Squall turned to look at everybody before letting out an enormous sigh. "Alright. Maybe I should just go in first and talk to him. Then, you guys come in later."

Selphie scoffed but soon enough dropped the situation. Squall turned toward the doors and entered.

In front of him was the back of Cid's chair. "Squall," he said, without even looking.

"Cid," he said in a tone of respect.

"Fancy seeing you step back into this establishment."

Squall looked at the ground. "Sir, I'm really sorry. About everything. You see, I-"

"I know, Squall. I was a rebellious teenager once as well." Cid turned his chair around, and at the sight of squall, he chuckled. "Maybe not to such an extreme, but. Ah what can I say? Sit down."

Squall immediately obeyed. "I wish to enroll back into Garden, sir."

Cid smiled and his aged eyes squinted back at him. "Squall, it just isn't that easy. A lot has happened, and Garden is on an incredibly high security level. We can't just let our guards down to an occurrence like this. It's uncanny that you're back here out of the blue, and I just can't afford to let my guard down."

Squall looked at the floor. "Well maybe they'll have something to say about that." Squall stood up slowly and walked to the entrance, pressing the button to open the door. There stood the rest of the group, ready for confrontation. Selphie was the first to hop in, and then Irvine, Quistis, and lastly Rinoa.

"Quistis? Irvine? _Selphie_? What are you all doing here? And who is that I see?"

Rinoa remained silent, clearly too shy to speak.

"This is General Fury Caraway's daughter, sir," Quistis said. "And I'm here to back up Squall's request to enroll here once more."

Cid was in disbelief. "And Selphie?"

Selphie nodded. "Right. Me too."

"But…why?" he asked. "What's happened to your plan?"

"It was a joke," Squall began. "I realized that I wasn't going to get anything done that I wanted to get done as an independent group. I also knew that you would more than likely help carry out my wishes and concerns. And right now we're in the middle of a big concern that I'm sure you're aware of."

Caraway nodded and put his knuckle to his mouth. "Do you have someplace to stay?"

Squall nodded. "We have an apartment in Timber."

Caraway's eyes widened. "Timber? Timber isn't safe right now! We have suspicions that Edea is there, Squall! Timber is under control of Galbadia! Caraway is a high ranking offical in that army, Squall. You never know what Edea could be telling him to do! You can't stay in Timber!"

Selphie shrugged. "Well, we've stayed there long enough so what difference does it make?"

Cid let out a heavy sigh and clasped his hands together. "I'm going to admit to you, Squall and Selphie. You were both SeeDs here, and that means you were some of my most valuable students. But after everything I can't say I can let you both enroll back in here so quickly. I am however leaving the option open that you can stay here and use the training center and other facilities. You just cannot attend classes, and you will also have a close eye kept on you. If anything goes on that shouldn't be, you'll certainly be hearing from us."

Quistis stepped close to Cid's desk. "I'll stay with them, Cid. But honestly I can tell you that I don't think there are going to be any problems. You need not worry." She turned to the rest of the group. "So what are you going to do, you two? Are you going to stay here, or are you going to go back to Timber?"

Before they could reply, Rinoa stepped in. "What does this mean for me? What am I going to do? I don't even understand what's going on. Can I just go back home?"

Squall shook his head. "No, Rinoa. We're not letting you return there. You may not understand it now, but this is dangerous."

Cid stood up and cleared his throat. "Squall that is actually a bad idea. You need to let Rinoa return home until it starts to become dangerous. At this point we have no proof that it is going to be dangerous at all. Caraway has an immense amount of power, and kidnapping his daughter would be an incredibly impractical move to make. Do you understand?"

Squall nodded. "Well if you really think it's safe for her, then I guess I agree. And Rinoa, you have to promise that you trust us and will come to us if there are any problems. Do you understand the potential amount of trouble that you're in?"

Rinoa nodded, pushing her hair behind her ears. "I do."

"Okay Cid, well, we're going to stay here for the night!" Selphie exclaimed. "I don't know about you Squall, but I don't really want to go back to Timber."

"I'll think about it. Quistis, what do you think?"

"I think you should stay here. That apartment is bad for you. Why don't we head back and get your belongings," she replied. "Cid, thanks for everything."

They all thanked him and he nodded. Slowly they drained out of his office and he was alone.

It was incomprehensible that Squall Leonhart had broken down for Garden like he had. It was almost sad to see him so defeated. When he had decided to drop out of Garden for the first time, he seemed like he was really determined. Now, there was a sense of defeat in his eyes, and also a very deep sadness that Cid couldn't seem to put his finger on. However, despite everything, Cid was happy about it. He was still a bit untrusting, but he had always really enjoyed having Squall as a student in his academy. It was almost like some sort of honor.

* * *

The group made their way to the first floor in complete silence. There wasn't much to be said. Everyone seemed to be somewhat down. Perhaps it was because of Rinoa and feeling sorry for what it was she had gotten faced with out of nowhere. The girl has been in complete seclusion until this day. It was a drastic change indeed.

Suddenly, everyone stopped walking. Before them stood Seifer Almasy and his gunblade Hyperion that had so famously defeated Squall numerous times, and his followers Raijin and Fujin. At the sight of Squall, he smirked. Nothing ever fazed this student. Squall on the other hand, was not amused. He was already feeling somewhat degraded and had an aching in his chest that he couldn't quite put his finger on.

"Seifer," Squall simply said.

Seifer laughed. "Squall, the hell are you doing here? Does this mean I can slice your pride up some more?" Seifer raised his gunblade in defence. However, his smile vanished as he clearly examined Squall.

"FIGHT," Fujin stated.

Seifer dropped his gunblade and shook his head. "Look at this. What have we here?"

"Squall, just don't make any drastic moves. You have no weapon and you're pretty much on probation," Selphie stated, grabbing onto Squall's arm.

Raijin tapped Seifer's shoulder and whispered something in his ear. Seifer in return dropped his head. "No…I'm not going to." He turned away. "Do you see this man?" he said, whipping around. "He can't fight. He's lost everything he once had. This isn't Squall Leonhart." Seifer turned away once more and walked away.

"Just ignore him," Quistis said, but she could already tell that Squall had become irked by this encounter. He let out a deep breath and continued walking out of the school. They were all surprised at Squall's maturity

Later that evening, Squall rode a train back to Deling with Rinoa. When they arrived at her house, she knocked on the door and a young red-haired girl opened.

"Rinoa! You're home late."

Squall grew nervous. This would be a bad time to be getting in trouble with Caraway.

"I know, I know. Just please don't tell my father. Oh and Magdalene, this is Squall."

Squall breathed a sigh of relief when he remembered that her father wasn't even home.

"Well come in, you two, I assume you're the SeeD?" she said, looking up at Squall. He wordlessly nodded and walked into the house.

The two stood in the kitchen for a second before Rinoa offered, "Do you want something to eat, drink? Do you want a tour?"

"Whatever," Squall mumbled. It would seem that the tables had turned. Squall was now the quiet and unhappy one, and Rinoa was now the excited and happy one.

"Let's go somewhere more suitable than a kitchen, shall we?" Rinoa led Squall to a staircase that led up to a series of closed doors. One of them was a shiny white wooden door with painted designs all it. "Well this is my room. Do you want to come in?"

Squall shrugged. Why would he want to see her room?

She opened the door, and shades of blue came flying everywhere. Blue bed, floor, walls, tables, chairs, everything. "You must really enjoy blue," Squall remarked.

"I don't enjoy anything in my room," she replied, walking inside with Squall following. She closed the door behind them and motioned for him to sit down on the couch or at the small table. Only at a place like this would a teenager have tables and couches in their room. When he was sitting, she clasped her hands. "Okay Squall, teach me how to cast magic."

Squall rolled his eyes. "It's not that simple, Rinoa."

"Well then how do you explain this?" Rinoa's fingertips began to glow with red color. Squall's mouth dropped open and he quickly grabbed her hands.

"You can't just cast fire in here, Rinoa!" he quickly pulled his hands back, however, because her hands were burning his. They were suddenly interrupted by a knock on the door. Rinoa's eyes widened and she looked at Squall.

"Hide!" she whispered, pushing him off into a nearby closet. "And don't touch anything! I'll be right back." Rinoa trotted out of her room and ran down the stairs. Magdalene always left once she knew Rinoa was safe and sound, so that meant Rinoa had to open the door.


End file.
